1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a device which can be used for displaying or advertising desired information.
2. The Prior Art
The applicant hereby lists the pertinent prior art of which he is aware:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,374 U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,175 U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,867 U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,582 U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,340 U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,082 U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,242 U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,201 ______________________________________
The Grundell patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,298,274) shows in FIG. 6 an arrangement whereby a device is fastened to the binding of a book and is inserted through a support channel which can be suspended between two rails. The patent to Cooper (U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,867) in FIG. 1 shows end pieces which extend beyond the edges of the cover of a file and are arranged to be supported on a pair of parallel rods. The Kirkorian patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,340) is cited primarily for the arrangements shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, wherein the enlarged cross-sectional bead is secured in the binding of a file and the bead is arranged to be inserted or supported in the channel of a suspended hanger element. The patent to Sullivan (U.S. Pat. No. 3,790,242) shows in FIG. 1, a carrier for attachment to a binder, such as a binder for computer printouts, and a channel type supporting structure for the insertion and suspension of the carrier. The Giulie patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,801,175) shows a combination hanger and binder unit in FIG. 2, wherein a sheath of papers can be bound together by a binder unit and hangers provided in each end of binder unit can be extended for engaging spaced support members for suspending the papers. The Podosek patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,582) shows a hook arrangement for suspension of bound loose-leaf file assemblies, as shown in FIG. 1, for suspending the file from a single support member. The Young et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,082, discloses a binder storage support arrangement using flexible lightweight frame hangers as disclosed in FIGS. 5 and 7. The Kenney et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,201, in FIGS. 1 and 3, shows a pair of hanger and sheet lifters for ring binders whereby the binder may be hung on spaced parallel rails in a suspended arrangement.
The prior art is primarily directed to various arrangements for suspending files, books, sheets of paper, etc., in an arrangement whereby some kind of a support hanger or structure is inserted as part of the binding of the object and in most cases both elongated ends of the hanger are arranged to contact and be supported by several objects. These arrangements are fairly ineffective for the intended purpose of the present invention in that no advertising or display of any type is or can be provided in any of these devices. One of the factors involved in a device like this is cost, and the ability to write off cost or provide other novel features which can be a considerable cost saving measure or one in which some value can be recouped in addition to providing a convenience for the user.
The present invention takes a different approach. In order to make the device worthwhile for use and, thus, become a decided improvement over the prior art, it has been found advantageous to provide a device which is useful for advertising and displaying information or other forms of media that will have decided appeal or benefit. In addition, it is also desirable to provide support functions for various bound objects, especially for storage purposes. Contrary to the prior art, the present invention does not directly join or connect the object. This is to say that the device of the present invention can merely be inserted between the pages of the object to act as a book mark, divider and/or support without actually being joined or physically connected to the binding or edge of the object.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a display marker device which can be utilized to provide information for display advertising for the purposes of retail selling or distribution of desired information.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which can be used to mark or organize a plurality of objects such as books, sheets, files, etc., to categorize and classify these items into proper locations.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a device which can be utilized to support objects such as bound volumes for convenient and accessible storage and to protect the objects from damage or wear.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a simple and cheap display marking device which can be readily manufactured at such a low cost that it can be given away or distributed to the public for dissemination of information and provide a useful object which will be retained by the user.